Chapter 569: The First Day of School
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
"Hurry up! It’s the first day of school today, we’re dead if we’re late!"
People were bustling to and fro on the streets of the Academy; it had never been as busy as it was today. With a bag slung over her shoulder, Rachel dragged her friend through the dense crowd, running hurriedly towards the academy.
As a student on the first day of school, she could not afford to be late.
Rachel was only seventeen this year and was the daughter of a blacksmith. She lived in a small, isolated town in Carretas and had never come into contact with magic before. A few months ago, the news of an Academy of Magic had just come out and she had argued with her father repeatedly about it. Eventually, she pulled her friend along with her and snuck out of the small town to hide in a nearby city.
Half-jokingly, they had gone to the Academy of Magic, to sit for the entrance test. What she had not expected, however, was for this test to change her life.
At that time, the examiner had noted that their raw talents were really not bad, with Rachel’s, in particular, quite impressive. She had Level A spiritual energy, and Level B affinity to elements; this meant that she could undergo focused training immediately after she is admitted.
At that moment, Rachel was stunned.
In her mind, mages were mysterious characters who only existed in legends; they could do impossible feats like swallow ice and spit out fire, a whole different species from regular humans. She had never imagined that she had the potential to be one of them.
This was literally a dream come true.
That day, she had run back to town and flung open the door to her house, shouting, "I don’t want to marry that ugly monster, I want to be a mage!" At that time, her father’s dumbfounded expression gave her all sorts of delightful emotions.
Although, after the announcement of the results, her family would continuously say things like, "It’s a scam", "Girls should not stray too far from home, it’s very dangerous," or "This kind of school must be very expensive, we cannot afford it", Rachel’s mind was made up.
She did not want to stay in this small town anymore.
"Don’t worry, I’ll write you a letter after I’ve arrived."
And so, she set off with a friend, without asking for a single cent from her father. The two of them travelled straight through the night and arrived at the Academy by dawn.
Of course, administration staff provided them assistance by not only hiring a horse carriage for the ten or so youngsters that had been recruited alongside Rachel but by also waiving her tuition fees, making the cost of her education 100% free!
At that time, Rachel was so overwhelmed with emotions that she almost cried. Because of that, she signed the "payment with labour" contact unflinchingly, willing to do whatever it took to become an amazing mage. She was determined to make her relatives and family in her hometown look at her in a new light.
It was also because of this that she was feeling so nervous on the first day of school.
"Don’t rush, aren’t there still many students here? Surely, the academy teacher wouldn’t punish us if we are all late."
The friend who was being dragged along by Rachel left hand yawned as she stumbled along.
"How can I be so carefree? The recruitment teacher said I had the potential to be in the top class. If I can’t get in because I was late, then I’m done for!" Rachel yelled as she continued to pick up the pace.
However, having heard her friend’s point, she glanced around while running.
There were indeed many youngsters around her, wearing different styles of clothing but all with full backpacks; they all seemed to be worried and agitated ... Everyone was heading towards that majestic academy in the centre of town and no one dared to slow down. They acted as though their dreams of becoming a mage would be snatched from them if they were late by even a minute.
There were a lot of schoolmates, that was true, but... this did nothing to quell her nervousness, in fact, it made it worse!
She had actually wanted to rebut her friend with a few words but instead chose to shut her mouth and continuing squeezing forward with her friend in tow.
Today was too important to for petty squabbles.
—This was the academy built by the legendary mage who had saved Ferelden and Carretas; all she had to do was get in and her life would change completely, wouldn’t it?
If it was a typical day, getting to the entrance of the academy from their hotel would only take half an hour. But today, there were too many people; everyone was headed towards that direction. Rachel and her friend struggled for a full fifty minutes before finally catching sight of the academy that held all of their dreams.
"It’s past nine o clock already, we might really be punished." After asking a passerby for the time, her friend turned and frowned at her.
Rachel felt the breath escape from her lips; her heart ached so much that she did not want to speak.
"Quick! What are you waiting for? Take out the result slip we gave you after you passed the test along with your identification documents. You can go into your dorms after we verify your documents."
Suddenly, the mage at the main entrance called out to them and beckoned them forward.
Rachel was stunned, "We... Won’t be punished?"
"Of course not. There’s no time specified for the enrolment process. You’ll only be punished if you’re late for class." The mage smiled at them as he spoke, "Quickly, sign here. There are still many people waiting behind you!"
Hearing this, Rachel’s spirits lifted, and she nodded vigorously.
Half a minute later, they were done with the procedure and were given pillows and blankets to carry to their dorms. As they walked into the academy, all they saw around them was a mad rush. Students were carrying all sorts of items and running about while the teachers were at their wit’s end trying to fly around to help organize them.
Rachel and her friend hurried to their dorm before greeting their future dorm mates. Then, they unpacked their luggage and made their beds. Arriving at a completely new environment meant that there were plenty of tasks to handle; this kept them preoccupied and gave them no time to fantasize about what their lives in the academy would be like after this.
After they were about done tidying their dorm, a mage knocked on the door and said, "We need someone to help tidy up the academy hall, are you guys free? There’ll be additional points offered."
Rachel’s hand shot up like a bullet.
"I’ll go!"
However, she realized that she was not the only one who was so determined. Half of the people in the dorm had been quicker than her; at that moment, she felt the immense pressure of the competition in this place.
And so, before they could even catch their breath, they were brought by the mage to the hall to prepare for the school opening ceremony that was to take place in a few days’ time.
As she followed the team, Rachel felt like as though she was in a trance.
Was she really a student of the Academy of Magic? The Academy of Magic that the entire land had been talking about?
It felt like she was dreaming.
"Wait... Where am I?"
Coming back to her senses, Rachel was startled to realize that she had lost her group. She had not noticed another group of mages passing by them and had followed them instead. The team of mages that she was with had used a flying spell moments later and flown off without a trace.
And so, she was now lost in a completely unfamiliar place. Her surroundings were much less crowded and were completely different from the bustling crowds near the main entrance; she might be in some remote, unknown corner in the academy.
Damn.
Rachel wanted to cry, but couldn’t muster the strength to do so. It was her first day of school, why was it so rough?
No, calm down...
She took a deep breath and turned to try to find her way back. Luckily, after just a while, she came across a brown-haired young man standing under the trees on the roadside.
For a moment, Rachel perked up and she gathered up her courage to walk over and talk to him.
"Greetings. Excuse me, are you also a new student?"
Hearing this, the man turned around with a very surprised expression, "Ah... Student? Are you talking about me? No, no, no, I am not a student here."
This time, it was Rachel’s turn to be surprised, "I’m sorry, are you a teacher here?"
"Teacher..." That man scratched his head, and after some hesitation said, "I guess you could take me as one heh...."
Rachel was slightly confused.
He was really young... She felt like he was only a few years older than she was, and yet he was already a teacher in the Academy of Magic. Thinking about this, she felt that the burden on her shoulders grow heavier.
Calming down, she spoke once again, "Alright... Teacher, I have accidentally gotten lost in the academy, can you tell me how to get to the hall?"
"Hall? Are you going to help with the opening ceremony?"
Rachel nodded.
Hearing this, the man suddenly gave her a wide grin, "Very responsible, not bad, not bad. Since you don’t know the way, I will send you there myself!"
"Ah... That..."
While Rachel was still hesitating, a warm, humid wind suddenly bundled her up and lifted her into the sky. At that moment, she almost screamed.
However, after some deep breaths, she realized that this wind which was holding her up was extremely steady. Slowly, curiosity replaced fear. She opened her eyes and looked down. Everything on the ground was becoming smaller; very soon, she could see the entire outline of the academy in one shot.
Wow... she was really high up. Was this flight magic?
Before long, she approached the academy hall.
As she was in the air, her mind underwent a radical shift. Before this, she had only wanted her father to be proud of her, but now, she was bursting with interest at the idea of becoming a mage.
She wanted to wield unimaginable power and to replicate this warm and fantastic moment whenever she wanted.
Magic was really amazing.
"Teacher, thank..." She turned her head, wishing to thank the young man. However, she realized that this man had not flown with her into the skies and was nowhere to be found.
Had he left?
Rachel suddenly felt somewhat disappointed. Although it was just a short meeting, she had a strange feeling that he was really powerful. She did not know what subject this teacher taught or whether
or not she would meet him again, but nevertheless, he was so skilled and approachable.
This teacher... she was sure he was a good guy!